BEIJING, Oct. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- British scientists have discovered a gene mutation linked to the most common cause of blindness, holding out the prospect of better treatments and perhaps eventually a cure, according to media reports Wednesday quoting the Lancet journal. 

    They have found six variants within the gene called Serping1 that are associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), Sarah Ennis and Andrew Lotery of the University of Southampton said in the journal.

    The findings add to the growing understanding of the genetics of age-related macular degeneration, which should ultimately lead to novel treatments for this common and devastating disease. 

    AMD -- which involves damage to the delicate cells of the macula, a region at the center of the retina -- is increasingly common as people get older.

    Around 90 percent of patients diagnosed with AMD have the so-called dry version, for which no treatment is currently available, they said.

    The rest have wet AMD, which occurs when tiny new blood vessels grow between the retina and the back of the eye. This form of the disease can be treated with modern drugs, they added.

    (Agencies)